Allanw

Yeah, just don't...

and: "With the S14 4-cylinder power plant kicking out 195 bhp, the E30 M3 built on the earlier M10 engine to maximize low-rev torque, pulling with 169lb ft at 4750 rpm" Has the guy not driven it? I don't think anyone in their right mind would say an E30 M3 was built for "low end torque"! They're a rev-it's-tits-off peaky thing. The tyres aren't actually even that new, are they? They might have been a few weeks ago though

You drunk too much of that piss?

Nah, it really isn't! You should check out the threads on some of the US sites! Some of them suggested RO water so there was no minerals... These guys can argue for pages and pages about what should be used. On one of them, someone posted the BMW water requirements and it kind of put a damper on things. The limits are quite high really. If you had to fill it with new water everyday for years, you'd run into issues after many years - like the stuff that accumulates in your electric jug. However, if you boiled the same water everyday in a sealed jug, the buildup isn't even visible - which is similar to the radiator setup.

Obviously everyone will use what they feel comfortable with, which is fine. Just be aware that what people say, isn't always fact. I've seen people talking about using pure water and RO (Reverse Osmosis) water, and it is absolutely the worst thing you can use. Average tap water in NZ exceeds BMW requirements many times over. Anyone know what the dealers use? Or the average workshop? If you have water that is too pure, metals will dissolve into it. Water doesn't like to be "empty" - it's the universal solvent. It will dissolve anything it can, to become saturated with the Ions of anything that surrounds it. Pure water will eventually dissolve even stainless steel. Brass and aluminium disappear much faster. Some of the Dialysis equipment I maintain uses pure and ultra-pure water - we have to be VERY careful what metals we use for this exact reason. Hard water can leave calcium and magnesium deposits, but you're hardly going to gets rocks forming. If the water has been through a water softener, it has gained sodium Ions, so do you want lightly salted water in there? The problem with using anything out of a bottle, is that you don't know what has been done to it. It could be softened or Ro water, without necessarily being labelled as such.

an E39 windscreen leak can get into some expensive electronics! not so bad there, but the other side usually leak direclty onto the LCM. I'd suggest getting it sorted ASAP! If you have a sunroof, get the drains cleared - if you don't, get the windscreen sorted. I'd have thought it unlikely to be the door seal, unless you can see it's deformed or damaged. Edit: Actually - If it's leaked like that, there's probably MORE water gotten in than you can see - there could be quite a lot leaked down the inside of that trim piece, and is now down the side of the dash.

clean tap water is fine. Be careful of bottled water - most of it has more minerals that town water, and the stuff that doesn't, may be RO water, which will suck all the metal it can out of your engine!

www.milland.co.nz

Is it on an E39 530i? Just the "correct" oil will set you back $160 for 2x 5L packs (though you only need 6.5ish litres). E34 530i is probably cheaper - dunno how much they hold, but the oil is probably cheaper. If it's a proper service, they should give everything a checkover too. If it's just oil you want changed, you may as well do it yourself as above.

SE models had colour matched bumpers (except the rub strip) and the M-techs (obvioulsy). A good number of NZ cars and most UK cars imported are SE's, but not many 316's were over here, it was mostly 325i's.

Get Wurth Bumper Dye. It works a treat, and lasts YEARS! I "painted" the inside plastic on an old suzuki van with the grey stuff, and it was brilliant. Panelbeaters have used the stuff for years It dries a satin or semigloss finish - on textured bumpers it looks good.

You'd think they'd be better off ticketing all the retards who can't drive properly, in the wrong lanes, running red lights, poor lane control, can't use indicators and cross the centre line. They're likely to directly cause an accident, resulting in serious injury. Of course, up here, that's often the cops though - I've honked at two on my road who can't stay on their side of the centre line and apparently cop cars don't have indicators, especially at roundabouts.

Probably is just one dodgy one. If nothing else, you can be thankful the loan "car" is no longer in your possesion

I think that tyre is already rooted. WHY take a pic of it. Do you have to bring your own if you buy it? Retards.

Hmmm... yeah, you can't always rely on new parts... bummer. They'll probably want the stuffed one shipped back though The ones Paul from Milland has on trademe are pretty cheap too.

I wonder how many people were put off by the free car? "Here, buy our house and we'll give you this shitty moneypit" The cooling system issues are bad enough, but wait until you get one proper hot, and the liners slip down inside the block, and the crankshaft smashes the bottom off them The gaske problems are because the liners slip down anyway. They'd have been a great little car if ROver had been smart enough to use more parts from the Honda parts bin.

AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You poor, poor boy! Don't brake too hard, in case it tips over forwards! Becareful on carners. Don't pull out in front of anyone. Actually, just stay home Hope they get your car sorted soon. REALLY soon.

Plus, you forgot to mention... it BUTT-UGLY! Looks like it's from the 80's (not in a good way either) and they hammered some shiney lights into the front. Oh... it IS!

Oh Yeah! It looks a bit nasty - If there's rust like that there, how bad is it everywhere else? I wouldn't worry about rust in the actual sunroof panel, but the roof is HARD to repair properly. If it's a jap import, it would have most likely been South African Assembled, as the 325i's tended to be from Japan. For the money, You might be better off looking at a better condition 318i

Ha! I beat that... My first was 360cc. Daihatsu Max 360. 2 cylinder 2 stroke It's nearly like a 4.0 V8 E30!

Agreed! Most AA checks aren't worth the money spent - they're often inspected by someone who has NO CLUE what they are looking at! E30's have their own set of problems, and I'd doubt there's an AA inspection man in the country who'd know what to look at. Bad luck dude! Try to find a good one for your money then tidy it up. Rough ones can be money pits!

http://www.kiwishipping.co.nz/

SOME of these lights can be dismantled, and the mask can be flipped over to give the right beam pattern.

The manual trans probably makes more difference than the engine size Plus, manual is my favourite . your economy isn't too bad really, I can squeeze the E39 down to 7L/100kms, probably a bit better on flatter, straighter roads than we have up here. Was talking to a mate last night, with a 97? 750iL V12. He's getting about 14l/100kms in auckland, but it gets a bit better on the open roads. He can make it much worse with lots of loud pedal too! Your car does look in awesome condition.

Agree. The weight of the car makes FAR more difference than the engine size (to a point, obviously). The ti might be a bit lighter, so a bit better. You could end up swapping it for a car that isn't as good as yours, and you end up spending the difference in repairs. How much do you spend on petrol a year anyway? Even if you save 20% in fuel costs, is that enough to bother? If you do 15000kms a year, and swap to a car that uses 2L/100kms less (and I'm not convinced you'd get that), you'll save about 300L per year - maybe $660 a year (coz your 323i is on premium, which I think it about 2.20 a litre???). $660 could easily be eaten up in a simple repair. You'e be better off swapping it for a vitz/echo What's your average economy on the 323i? (off-topic: anyone see the Top Gear thing with the M3 following a prius on their track? M3 got better economy )